


What Summer Ever Meant To You

by localchampion



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-15 05:39:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localchampion/pseuds/localchampion
Summary: A story based on true events, inspired by the Fall Out Boy song "Fourth of July", this is the story of Brian and his friend Chrissy.





	1. End of Senior Year, Spring 1998

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that the guys graduated in the early 90s, not the late 90s, but I needed to take artistic liberty with that for necessary technology in later chapters.

“Hey Chrissy, how’s it going?” He called when he spotted his friend sitting on the porch of her parents’ house.

“Hey Brian, things are good. What’s up?” She asked, putting down her book as he walked up.

“Did I see a Mr. James S. Murray walking down the street from this residence late last night?” He asked with a sly grin.

“Brian, shut up!” She said in a hushed tone, hopping off the step and smacking him in the arm. "My mom is home! I can’t get grounded before prom!”

Brian laughed at her reaction. “Word gets out, they aren’t going to let you wild public school girls come to our dances anymore, and we wouldn’t want that because it’s gonna be awesome.”

“Oh yea? Did you finally ask Melissa?”

“Yea, I’ll get to it,” he said rubbing the back of his neck

She laughed. “Uh huh, better get to it. Murr asked me weeks ago. Bought me flowers and everything.”

“Oh yea? Did he bring you flowers when he gave you that hickey?” He asked with a laugh. Chrissy gasped and pulled up the collar of her jacket.

“Shut up!” She squealed.

“Chrissy, who are you talking to? Oh hello Brian!” Her mom called from the open front door.

“Hello Mrs. Martin. You look well rested.” Brian replied as Chrissy glared daggers at him.

“Oh, well thank you Brian,” she replied with a puzzled tone. “Tell your mother hello for me.” She said as she walked away from the door.

“You are such an ass!” Chrissy said hitting him on the arm again as he cracked up. “I’m going to go finish my homework.” She said turning back toward her house.

“You already got in to Syracuse, what do you care about homework for?”

“I have advanced placement tests soon. Not all us public school kids are slackers you know.” She said rolling her eyes.

“Alright, I’ll see you later. Will I be seeing Murr around tonight?”

Chrissy flipped him off as she walked in the house and heard him laughing as he headed home.

“Chrissy, what did Brian mean when he said I looked well rested?” Her mom asked as she walked into the kitchen to grab a soda.

“I have no idea mom, he’s an idiot.” He said as she rolled her eyes and retreated to her room.

~

“Ok, we have to get one of everyone together,” someone’s mom called from the group of parents that stood with cameras ready to snap photos of the teenagers in formal wear waiting anxiously and awkwardly for the night to commence.

Everyone shuffled into position for the photos. In the middle stood Chrissy, wearing a sky blue spaghetti strap dress, her curly hair pulled into an up-do for the night. Murr wore a bowtie that matched her dress, and had chosen a rose corsage for her wrist.

Brian had finally mustered up the courage to ask Melissa to go with him and she accepted happily. A few couples from their theater group pooled their money for a limo to drive them to the event.

Once the parents were satisfied with the photos, they piled into the limo and headed to dinner and then the dance. On the way there, flasks were slipped out of jacket pockets and were passed around.

The prom was a joint event between the private catholic boys and girls schools, so Chrissy didn’t know many people outside the group of friends that her neighbor Brian had introduced her to, which is how she met Murr in the first place. Brian didn’t ever think she would like Murr, but one day she had come over to get Murr's phone number from him. She called him and they had been going out for months.

When they walked into the rented hotel ballroom, they immediately ran into Sal and his date, as well as their friend Joe. They found a table to sit down at where they watched people dance. 

After a few fast songs, “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo started to play and Murr offered Chrissy his hand. They went to the dance floor and swayed together to the music. He smiled down at her and kissed her sweetly. She was so happy to be at this dance with him under the balloons and streamers that decorated the room. After the song ended they danced to a couple more songs before retreating off the dance floor. Murr went to get them some punch and Chrissy found Brian leaning against the wall in the back. He had shed his jacket and his tie, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

“Having fun?” She asked as she leaned against the wall next to him.

“Yea, it’s a good time. I think we’re going to go soon. I got a room upstairs.” He bragged, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

“Ugh, really? That’s so cliché!” Chrissy teased.

“It wasn’t my idea” he replied with a grin and Chrissy rolled her eyes. There was a flash which drew their attention.

“Hey guys, look over here for a photo” Joe called and snapped another photo of Brian and Chrissy leaning against the wall. “Oh that will be great, I’ll get ya a copy.” He said before running off.

“Brian, can we get out of here?” Melissa purred as she sauntered up to Brian, leaning into him.

“Anything you want,” he replied as she walked off to say goodbye to her friends. “Chrissy, have a good night, be gentle with Murr.”

“You be safe,” she said giving him a knowing look. As he walked away with Melissa on his arm, Murr found Chrissy again.

“Wanna go to the post-prom party at the bowling alley?” Murr asked.

“Sure, let’s go,” she said taking his hand and heading out.


	2. Summer 1998

The end of the school year was filled with celebrations for the senior class. Chrissy was preparing to leave for college, but before she could start to focus on that, she had to throw her annual Fourth of July party. She had been throwing Fourth of July parties for her friends since middle school, when her parents first started to let her buy fireworks from the stand at the corner store. It was an event she looked forward to every year.

That afternoon of her party, Chrissy put out coolers full of soda, snacks and her parents fired up the grill as she waited for her friends to arrive. Murr and Brian were the first ones there. She greeted Murr with a big kiss and Brian with a hug after he gave her a dejected look once they had separated from their kiss. Not long after, more people showed up and everyone was having a great time talking, laughing and eating. Once the sun started to set, it was time to go to the park to watch the city's firework display.

"I can take 4 in my car,” Chrissy called as the group gathered up blankets and coolers.

“I can take a few in my car” Sal announced as well.

“I have my mom’s minivan” another girl called out. The convoy made their way to the park and staked out a large open space. Some of the families sitting nearby looked on disdainfully as the group of loud teenagers descended upon them.

Chrissy found herself sitting on a blanket by Brian, as she couldn’t find Murr around at first. She kept glancing around and eventually spotted him talking to some other girls. She shot Brian an annoyed look and he just shrugged in response. 

“We aren’t going to make it to the end of the summer.” Chrissy said out of nowhere staring into space.

“You guys aren’t going to the same school, are you surprised?” Brian replied.

“No, it’s just annoying. He doesn’t have to act like he’s already single.”

“He’s making a mistake, but that’s his problem.” Brian said with a reassuring smile. 

A few minutes later Murr finally rejoined them and settled in to watch the fireworks display. Murr wrapped his arm around Chrissy’s shoulders, but she looked over at Brian and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to forget what Murr had been doing minutes before.

~

A couple weeks later Brian had just gotten home from hanging out with Sal and was turning on his computer in his room when he glanced out the window and saw Murr walking down the street from Chrissy's house. He signed in to AOL Instant Messenger and saw Chrissy was online. He hadn’t talked to her since the Fourth of July, so he felt he was due to give her some crap.

> **comicskid:** did I just see murr leaving again? you crazy kids
> 
> **cbabe79:** yea, actually he just dumped me
> 
> **comicskid:** ouch, sorry.
> 
> **cbabe79:** whatever, I knew it was coming
> 
> **cbabe79:** I should have done it myself when I had a chance :(
> 
> **comicskid:** doesnt make it any easier
> 
> **cbabe79:** you’re telling me. 

Brian did his best to try to change the subject and get her mind off the heartbreak. She appreciated the gesture, and after chatting for about an hour she went to bed feeling much better than she was before.

~

The rest of the summer the friends spent as much time together before the gang went their separate ways for college or work. On a Friday night, they found themselves in the bowling alley for a sendoff party for Joe. Chrissy was in front of the claw machine game, loading it with quarters in an attempt to win a stuffed green tiger. 

“Damnit!” She yelled, hitting her fist on the glass of the machine as the plush toy fell just outside the shoot. Brian noticed and walked up next to her.

“You want me to win it for you?” He asked.

“No!” She shot back. “I wanted to win it myself, but I’m out of quarters.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “Here, try again.”

She took a quarter from his outstretched hand and put it in the machine and started maneuvering the claw above the stuffed cat. She pressed the button, dropping it and it grabbed the toy, pulling it in the air. Brian watched Chrissy held her breath as the claw moved the stuffed toy over the shoot. As the timer ran out and the claw opened, the stuffed cat fell into the opening and she pulled it out triumphantly.

“Yes! I did it!” She shouted, holding the cat in front of Brian’s face.

“Nice job! Although some would argue that I’m part owner of it since I did finance this.”

“Fine, I’ll let you have weekend visitation.” She said with a grin. He grinned back and a flutter went through her stomach. Was she starting to feel something for Brian? He was Murr’s best friend, she wondered if that would make any of this weird.

They went back to bowling and he sat down next to her and started playing with the stuffed cat. “Ya know, if you take this off to school with you, I’ll have to come visit you to get my visitation.”

“Well then sounds like I’m going to be that weirdo with a stuffed animal in her dorm,” she said with a smile.

The rest of the night at the bowling alley, she found herself flirting with Brian whenever she got a chance. It felt good to be getting some attention for the first time since Murr dumped her a few weeks before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering, yes the green tiger exists.


	3. End of Summer 1998

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I forgot to put this up on Monday! I got distracted by the new book I'm reading!

Brian was playing a computer game when he heard the phone ring downstairs.

“Brian, James is calling,” his mom called up the stairs.

“Ok, I’ll take it up here,” he said grabbing the phone that was in his room. “Ok mom you can hang up now.” He heard a click on the other end. “What’s up Murr?” The friends made small talk for a while until Murr got to the point of his call.

“So I was talking to Joe about his going away party. He said you and Chrissy were kinda all over each other.”

“I don’t know why that matters buddy, you’re the one that dumped her," Brian retorted.

“Come on! You know that’s kind of weird. Besides she’s going to school upstate, do you really think it’s gonna work out?” Murr asked.

Brian sighed. He really had hoped Murr wouldn’t find out, and if he did that he would be ok with Chrissy and him going out. The guilt started to eat at him. It’s not like things had gotten off the ground between Chrissy and him yet. He went to bed that night with a sick, sad feeling in his stomach. The next day he had resolved that he had to talk to Chrissy. That evening when he signed on to his computer and saw she was online.

> **comicskid:** Chrissy, are you busy?

Chrissy was going through her clothes and deciding what to take with her to school, but was more than happy to take a break to talk to Brian.

> **cbabe79:** not really, what’s up?
> 
> **comicskid:** so, the relationship between us
> 
> **cbabe79:** yea
> 
> **comicskid:** are we only a short term thing for you
> 
> **comicskid:** till you find someone in college

She was taken aback. What was he trying to say? That he didn’t want to pursue anything these last weeks of summer?

> **cbabe79:** If that's what you want
> 
> **comicskid:** well i was wondering what you were thinking
> 
> **cbabe79:** I really have no idea
> 
> **comicskid:** k, so i was thinking
> 
> **cbabe79:** yea
> 
>  
> 
> **comicskid:** i figured that soon as you go to college that we wouldnt be seeing each other for awhile maybe on hoildays and stuff but thats the only times i guess
> 
> **comicskid:** and im sure that you would find someone in the school year
> 
> **cbabe79:** I'm actually gonna be back more often than that

She sighed, she felt that nervous feeling in her stomach again. She knew deep down where this was going.

> **cbabe79:** but I guess I'm wondering where we stand then
> 
> **comicskid:** I don’t know if i want to anymore

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. How could she be so upset over something that never really went past flirting?

> **cbabe79:** That's what I thought you'd say
> 
> **comicskid:** ok, but friends still
> 
> **cbabe79:** duh
> 
> **comicskid:** good friends
> 
> **cbabe79:** right!
> 
> **comicskid:** better than friends
> 
> **cbabe79:** where are you going with this?
> 
> **comicskid:** nowhere, just checking

Brian sat back and sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. He knew it sucked now, but she was a pretty girl with a great personality. She was smarter than he could ever hope to be, and it was in his own best interest to let her go off to school without him tying her down from a distance.

Chrissy dried her eyes and put a Jimmy Eat World cd in her player before turning back to her computer. Brian was still online, but it seemed like the conversation between them was done. She saw Murr was online and felt compelled to talk to him. She needed a different male perspective. She filled him in on everything that was going on, not sure if Brian had talked to him or not.

> **cbabe79:** so now I have another "good friend"
> 
> **JSMurr:** ah, ok
> 
> **JSMurr:** you’re gonna be alright
> 
> **cbabe79:** yea, I'm just disappointed and bummed out
> 
> **JSMurr:** yeah, but he's a good guy
> 
> **cbabe79** : Murr, I met you because of him. I’m aware he’s a good guy, he's not really in my top 10 right now
> 
> **JSMurr:** right
> 
> **JSMurr:** well i gotta go to bed, night chrissy
> 
> **cbabe79:** night, and thanks for being a good friend
> 
> **JSMurr:** you bet...i promised you that I’d always be there for you when needed

After that night, Chrissy spent the last few busy days of summer packing and cleaning her room to leave for college. She spied Brian around the neighborhood, but decided to just leave him alone. She wasn’t mad at him any longer, but she was still frustrated that he wasn’t really willing to try with her. She was looking forward to the fresh start that college would provide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE HUGE HUGE shout out to myself, circa 2006 when I kept detailed journals and saved logs of actual IM conversations that became a bulk of the dialog in this chapter. God bless you weirdo.


	4. Summer 1999

Chrissy had come back from school and reconnected with most of her friends who had spread out for college. She had got a job as at an ice cream stand to make a bit of spending money and fill up some of her free time. After the first month of summer break had passed without too much going on, she decided that she would throw her annual Fourth of July party again as a way to get everyone together. When the day arrived she wasn’t surprised to find Brian and Murr were the first to show up in her parents’ backyard.

“Hey guys!” She said running up and giving each of them a hug.

“Hey Chrissy, how was school?” Murr asked.

“Pretty good, my roommate was kind of crazy, but I have lots of photos of everything, wanna see?”

“Sure” Murr replied. She glanced at Brian, he seemed to be nervous when she hugged him, and he didn’t seem too interested in her photos. She picked up the envelope and started to flip through the photos.

“Ok, so this was my half of my room, they were so small! Was your room this small?” She asked Murr before flipping through to find another photo. She found the one she was looking for and pulled it out and handed it without saying anything to Brian. It was a photo that showed her bed, with her stuffed green tiger sitting prominently on her pillow. Brian felt his heart skip a beat when he saw it.

“You’re behind on your visitations” she said with a laugh. She wanted him to loosen up since she had moved past the stupid failed attempt at a relationship they had the summer before. He wanted to be her friend, but most of their interactions while she was away at school had been very surface level and he certainly never asked if she was seeing anyone.

He let out a chuckle and handed the photo back to her. He seemed more interested as she showed them the rest of the photos of the friends she made, some scenic photos of the campus as well as some of the architecture that she had been inspired by.

Eventually more of their old gang arrived and the party really got going. When the sun started to set, the group got into their cars and headed to the park for fireworks. Brian rode with Chrissy and a few others. She turned down a side street to park so they wouldn’t be caught in the traffic jam after the fireworks were done. As everyone piled out of the car, Brian tried to shut the door, but it wouldn’t latch.

“Shit, I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it,” she said after a few minutes of looking at the latch and the door. “Can you wait here while I run around the corner and call my dad to come look at it?” She asked once she realized everyone else, except for Brian, had left for the park.

“Sure,” Brian replied sitting down on the curb next to the car. Chrissy ran to the payphone in the corner market and called her dad and he said he would be over shortly. Chrissy walked back to the car and sat down next to Brian.

“You can go catch up with others, I can wait here.”

“I’m not going to leave you sitting on the curb by yourself, are you nuts?” He replied. She smiled at him and they started to talk.

About twenty minutes later Chrissy’s dad arrived with a tool kit to fix the door.

“Probably should have mentioned that it’s been on the fritz for a while now,” he said as he set to work. “Also thanks for waiting with Chrissy, Brian.”

“She tried to tell me I could go!” Brian said ratting her out and Chrissy shot him a look.

“Chrissy, I hope you aren’t being that foolish on campus.”

“I’m not Dad, don’t worry.” Chrissy replied rolling her eyes. Brian chuckled to himself.

“Ok, it should be all set now.” Her Dad said as he finished the door. “If you hurry, you should still make the fireworks.”

“Thanks Dad, let’s go Brian.”

“Thanks Mr. Martin,” Brian said waving at her Dad as they hurried off to the park. They were still a block away when they heard a boom. They both looked up at the sky as the first firework burst above them.

“May as well stay here” Brian said, leaning against a building and looking up. Chrissy leaned back next to him. They stood silently watching the colors burst in the night sky above them. After a few minutes she let herself slide toward him. He glanced down at her subtle movement and matched it until her shoulder was resting against his upper arm. Once the fireworks ended, Chrissy suddenly stood up from the spot where she was leaning and Brian almost fell over, no longer having the support there.

“Come on, might as well wait for the others by the car,” she said with a laugh as she headed back the way they came.

~

The rest of the summer Chrissy spent her time working, while hanging out with her friends whenever she got the chance. She and Brian kept finding themselves flirting with each other when they were at the same party or get together, but it never went past that point.

The night of her last shift at the ice cream stand, Chrissy was working at the cash register taking orders. The stand was very busy since the night was warm and clear. She sighed as she looked at the long line waiting to order still. As she punched in orders she spotted a couple of familiar faces. After a few more customers placed their orders and moved off to the side to wait for their ice cream, she realized it was Brian and Sal. She caught Brian’s eye and flashed a grin at him. He smiled and waved at her. When they got closer in the line she realized that they were not there alone, they each had a girl that they were talking to, apparently on a double date.

Chrissy’s smile faded, and Brian glanced up at her while she was busy at the register and saw the look of disappointment on her face.

“Hey, isn’t that Chrissy?” Sal asked when they were almost to the front of the line.

“Yea, it is,” he said as they moved up to the window to place their orders. “Hey Chrissy, how’s it goin?”

“Good, thanks. You guys know what you want to order?” She asked, smiling weakly at her friends. She could feel her hands starting to get shaky, like they did when she was nervous.

Sal and the girl he had his arm around placed their orders and paid, then Brian and the girl by his side placed their orders and he paid for them both. They walked on to the window where they would pick up their orders and Brian glanced back at her over his shoulder. She was already on to the next customer and didn’t notice him. After she finished with the next customer, she looked over at Brian and he was laughing at something Sal had said to the group. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she refocused her attention on the customer in front of her.

After her shift was over, she trudged down the street toward her parents’ house. She heard laughing voices and looked over and saw Brian, Sal, and their dates sitting on Brian’s front porch. She kept her head down and continued home. Feeling dejected and alone wasn’t how she wanted to spend one of her last nights of summer, but she knew she’d be back at school soon enough.

She turned on her computer and started to get out her PJs to get ready for bed. She soon heard a notification ding.

> **comicskid** : hey did you just get come from work?
> 
> **cbabe79** : yea, saw you guys when I went by
> 
> **comicskid** : Sal’s still here, wanna hang out?
> 
> Chrissy sighed. It was tempting. She didn’t want to go back to school on a low note, she may as well hang out with them.
> 
> **cbabe79** : yea, I’ll be over in a sec

She pulled off her work uniform shirt, pulled on a t-shirt, slipped her shoes back on and snuck back out of her parents’ house and down the street to Brian’s parents’ home. Sal and Brian were still sitting on the front porch.

“Hey Chrissy how’s it goin?” Sal asked as she approached.

“Good now that I’m done with work,” she said sitting down on the steps.

“You guys want a beer? My dad won’t notice if a few are gone,” Brian said getting up.

“Yea, sure” Sal replied and Chrissy shrugged in agreement. Brian hopped off the porch and went around the house to the garage to grab the beers.

“You guys have a good date night?” Chrissy asked Sal once Brian was gone.

“Yea,” he replied, a dreamy look coming over his face. “I really like Cheryl. We’ve been going out for a few weeks now.”

“Nice,” Chrissy commented. She wanted to ask about Brian and the girl he was with, and Sal must have sensed that.

“Yea, the other girl was her friend that just got dumped and Cheryl didn’t want to leave her alone another night so Brian stepped in.”

“Well isn’t he just the perfect gentleman?” Chrissy said with an amused tone as he came back around the corner of the house.

“Who me?” He asked as he handed them their beers.

“Duh,” Chrissy replied as she took a swig of her beer. Sal looked between Chrissy and Brian. Were they aware of what he was seeing?

The three friends spent the rest of the night hanging out in the cool summer air. Chrissy was relieved that Brian had reached out to her, this was how she had really wanted to spend the end of her summer.


	5. Summer 2000

Chrissy had gotten a job as a tour guide on campus and didn’t come home from college. She did find herself getting lonely for her friends from Staten Island, since most of her friends from college had gone home. One night she was bored and she had drank the last the alcohol that one of her friends had purchased for her. She signed on to her computer and most people weren’t online since it was a Friday night, but she saw Brian was online, and had an away message up saying he was playing a video game.

> **cbabe79** : Brrrriiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaannnnnnn I’m bored, come back!
> 
> **comicskid** : playing a game, be back later
> 
> **cbabe79** : save me from my boredom

She went back to surfing the internet and heard a ding and the AIM window was blinking.

> **comicskid** : hey sup
> 
> **cbabe79** : I’m bored and I’m out of booze and everyone has a life except me
> 
> **comicskid** : I don’t have a life either then, im home on a Friday playing video games alone
> 
> **cbabe79** : You should finally come up to visit!
> 
> **cbabe79** : You should bring Sal too, I promise a good time!

Brian didn’t respond for a few minutes and Chrissy started to worry she had scared him off.

> **comicskid** : sorry my mom was askin me something
> 
> **comicskid** : yea that would be cool, let me talk to sal, maybe we can come up next weekend?

Chrissy found herself doing a bit of a dance in her chair when she saw his response.

> **cbabe79** : can’t wait!

~

The following weekend Sal and Brian were on their way up to Syracuse. Chrissy knew there was a party that she would take them to since she was too chicken to try to get a fake id to get into the bars. She knew having a police record would do nothing to help her get in to graduate school.

As part of her employment, she was staying in a suite style dorm on campus that came furnished with four beds, living room furniture, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. After her last tour of the day, she ran to the store to stock up on snacks and sodas, and waited for her friends to arrive. She sat by the window and waited for them to pull up. When she saw them arrive in the parking lot, she hurried down to let them in.

“Hey guys! Come on in!” She said holding the door open for them.

“Nice place ya got here” Brian said as they walked into the building.

“I have a whole suite to myself because they’re remodeling some of the other buildings right now. It’s the best!” She said as she led them to her room. “So you guys can pick whatever bedroom you want, I’m over on that end,” she said gesturing to the far end of the suite. “I know some people who are having a party tonight, you guys wanna order pizza or something before?”

“Sounds good to me,” Sal said flopping into one of the chairs in the living room. “Q’s got the pregame covered too.”

“Oh yea!” Brian said opening up his duffle bag and pulling out a case of beer.

“I knew I loved you guys for a reason,” Chrissy said with a grin. This was about to be the best weekend she had in a long time.

~

After drinking a few beers and eating too much pizza, the group headed out to the party. There were plenty of people already there and a keg was set up in the back yard. Chrissy greeted her friends and introduced Brian and Sal.

Chrissy had a couple more beers and somehow got cornered by a pretentious guy who didn’t realize that she was totally bored with their one sided conversation. Chrissy started looking around and spotted Sal, and tried to get him to look in her direction, but he never noticed her. Then she spotted Brian and shot him a look which he recognized immediately, the look said 'save me!'

“There you are,” Brian said sliding up next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“Who are you?” The guy asked Brian.

“I should be asking you the same thing! Who do you think you are hitting on my girl?” He retorted as he started to lead Chrissy away.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “He was so obnoxious.”

“No problem,” he said with a grin. He kept his arm around her shoulder, “in case the guy came around again” he reasoned.

After a couple hours at the party, Sal had too much to drink, so they helped walk him back to her suite.

“Chris, I swear to god I’m transferring up here, we’re gonna go out every weekend and it’s gonna be awesome,” Sal babbled as they walked down the hall.

“Sounds like a plan!” she giggled.

The three of them tumbled into her suite and Chrissy sat down on the kitchen floor with a bag of chips. Brian laid down on the floor on his back staring up at the ceiling as Sal locked himself in the bathroom.

“If he pukes all over my damn bathroom he has to clean it up” Chrissy said with her mouth full of chips.

“Don’t be gross,” Brian replied.

“You’re gross,” she retorted.

“Nuh uh, I’m your damn hero,” he said sitting up.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” she said kicking at him, but missing him completely. Sal then came out of the bathroom and sat down on the floor as well, resting his head against the cabinet door behind him.

“I drank too much,” he slurred.

“Yea we all did,” Brian replied.

“How awesome is it gonna be when we’re all 21? You guys are gonna come back in the fall for my birthday right?” she asked.

“Oh yea, if it’s anything like tonight, we’ll be here.” Brian answered.

The three of them decided to then watch a movie in the living room. Brian dragged one of the spare mattresses out and put it on the floor, in front of the couch while Chrissy was in the bathroom taking off her makeup from the evening. When she came out, Brian had a stack of VHS tapes he was looking through and Sal was snoring on the couch.

“Is he really out?” she asked gesturing at Sal.

“Yea, looks like it. What do you wanna watch?”

“Put in Raiders of the Lost Ark” she replied. He nodded and put in the movie. She sat down next to him on the mattress.

About half way through the movie her legs were getting stiff from how she was sitting, and her eyelids getting heavy.

“I’m gonna lay down, don’t be like weird about it,” she said putting her head on his leg.

“Who says I’m gonna be weird?” Brian replied.

“Shut up,” she retorted, the combination of beer and alcohol limiting her witty replies.

The next morning she woke up asleep on the mattress on the floor of her living room, no longer using Brian’s let as a pillow, but rather his arm. The other one was wrapped around her waist as he slept behind her.

She slipped out from under his arm and into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind her. She squinted into the mirror at her own face, thoughts racing through her mind. How did they end up like that? Did it just happen naturally while they were sleeping? Was it intentional? After finishing in the bathroom, she went into her bedroom and fell asleep for a while longer in her own bed like she had intended on doing hours before.

The next morning once the guys woke up, they all went out to get breakfast at a diner before the guys headed back to Staten Island. Chrissy keep trying to tell what Brian was thinking, but his face gave away nothing.

But Brian was barely paying attention to the conversation at the table, his mind was back in her apartment. They had been watching the movie, sitting a normal friends-length distance from each other when about halfway through Chrissy put her head on his leg instead of going to get her pillow from her room. He had been sitting cross legged, but he started to get tired and the movie was almost over, so he had laid down on his side trying to not disturb his sleeping friend. Unfortunately Chrissy woke up enough to sit up and make a whining noise at him, eyes barely open. He couldn’t help himself in that moment.

“Come here,” he had said, holding his arms open from where he was laying. She had smiled and laid her head on his arm. He let his other arm come down around her and she giggled a little in her sleepy state and snuggled into him. When he woke up the next morning she wasn’t there, but Sal was still snoring on the couch behind him. He got up and peeked his head in her open bedroom door, and spotted her sleeping in her bed, her eyebrows knitted together as if whatever she was dreaming about was distressing her. He quietly went back to the mattress on the floor of the living room, deep in thought about whether she would remember any of what happened in the middle of the night, and if she did, whether it meant anything at all, or if he was just a good pillow.

Back at Chrissy’s place they guys packed their things up and moved the mattress back to the spare bedroom. As she walked them out, she gave Sal a friendly hug, and then she and Brian made eye contact for the first time all day, and she held out her arms, like he had done for her the night before, and she gave him a tight hug that lingered longer than the one she shared with Sal. The guys then got in the car and waved as they drove off.

Chrissy kept in touch with Brian the same as usual for the rest of the summer before she came back to Staten Island for a few weeks at the end of summer. Nothing more was mentioned of the visit, but Chrissy was thinking about it every night she struggled to fall asleep, wishing he was there to wrap his arms around her again.


	6. Spring 2001

> **From** : Brian Quinn
> 
> **To** : Sal Vulcano, Chrissy Martin, Joe Gatto, and 3 others
> 
> **Subject** : RE: Murr’s birthday
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> The final plan is that Joe will go down to visit Murr on Thurs, and let us all in to his apartment on Friday while he’s in class. Be to the apt by 3 at the latest. Then Joe will DD for us when we go out. Sal IF YOU FORGET YOUR FAKE ID AGAIN WE WILL LEAVE YOU BEHIND.
> 
> Q

Chrissy laughed to herself as she read the email from her friends. Murr had no idea that they were all going to descend upon him for his 21st birthday. Well they weren’t going to be there on his actual birthday, but that made the surprise even better. Despite the fact that they dated in high school, she still considered Murr among her good friends from home, even though she spent more time with Brian and Sal over the last couple years. She also knew that she shared a lot with Murr when they dated that she wouldn’t be able to share with anyone else.

Her 21st birthday was in the fall, and she celebrated by hosting a party with her roommates, but none of her friends from back home were able to come up. The guys made it up to her at Brian’s 21st birthday though, even though Sal had forgotten his fake ID and couldn’t get into the bars with them and they had to turn it into an unexpected house party.

She had lied to her professors and told them she had internship interviews and would need to be out of class on Friday so she could make the nearly 6 hour drive to DC. She knew she had to make the trip happens since she really did have an internship lined up for the summer in Boston and she wanted to see her friends again before she moved. The drive to Washington was long, and Chrissy’s mood had soured by the time they got there. She met up with her friends at the hotel suite they were all splitting.

“Ok, let’s hurry up and get over to Murr’s apartment, his classes end in an hour,” Joe announced, wrangling the group that had already started drinking in the hotel suite they were staying in out the door. Everyone piled into the minivan that Joe had driven down there, and he let them into Murr’s apartment. Sal and Brian ran off and started messing with Murr’s stuff while Chrissy kept watch for Murr.

“Guys, everyone hide, he’s coming!” Chrissy shouted and everyone rushed back to the living room to hide. Joe was wandering around with a Polaroid camera snapping photos of everyone. Chrissy found herself next to Brian behind the sofa. He gave her a grin and wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she rolled her eyes.

They heard the lock in the door and as Murr came in everyone jumped out and yelled surprise. He looked completely shocked at the crowd in his apartment when he only expected Joe to be there.

“You guys! What the hell?!” He exclaimed as everyone rushed forward to wish him happy birthday, Joe happily snapping photos. Everyone grabbed a drink before they headed out to dinner and then to the bars.

After a few bars, Chrissy found herself talking to a guy who was actually pretty interesting. They had been talking for a while when Brian slid up next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

“Hey Chrissy, who’s this?” Brian asked, looking the guy up and down.

“Dave, and yo-“ he started, but Brian cut him off.

“We’re gonna go to the next bar, ready to go?” Brian asked Chrissy, blocking out Dave who just shook his head and walked away.

“What the hell?” Chrissy asked shrugging Brian’s arm off his shoulder. “I didn’t need you to save me.”

“Well it’s not like you’re gonna go home with that guy. You aren’t so stupid to leave with some stranger in a town you don’t know are you?” He asked. She rolled her eyes as she marched back over to the group. She knew he was right, but she just had no patience for him today.

The rest of the night Chrissy was irritated but tried to hide it to not ruin Murr’s birthday. Joe drove everyone back to the hotel and Chrissy climbed into the bed that the other girl, a friend of Joe’s, had claimed. She didn’t sleep well, as she could hear the others still talking in the other room until late, although she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

The next morning after a few hours of sleep, she woke up with a note under her hand. She opened it up and it read:

_“Sorry I ruined your good time last night. I was just trying to look out for you. BQ”_

She neatly refolded the note and quietly got dressed before she went to the lobby to find coffee before her long drive home. When she got back to the suite with her coffee, she found Joe was up.

“Hey, glad you up, here,” she said handing him her share of the money for the hotel.

“Thanks. Hey, check these out,” he said holding up photos he had taken the night before. “You can take whatever ones you want. I also brought some I just found from back in the day.”

She sat down next to him and started looking through the photos. One made her pause. It was a photo of her and Brian huddled behind the couch waiting for Murr to arrive. He was staring at her as she stared off at the door, oblivious to the look that was on his face.

“Oh ya like that one?” he asked. “I’ve seen that look before too.” Joe flipped through the other photos and pulled one out and handed it to her. It was from the senior prom and Brian was looking at her in a very similar way to how he was looking at her in the photo from the night before. She vaguely remembered Joe taking photos that night, but she didn’t recall seeing that one before.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she scoffed, but she could feel herself blushing. “That’s just his face.”

“Uh huh,” Joe replied, clearly not believing a word she said. He dug through the stack and pulled out one of Brian and his prom date and handed it to her. Then another of Brian and Sal. “Yea, it’s just his face when he looks at the girl next door.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. She handed back the photos, except for the one of her and Brian at Prom and the photo from the night before. She slipped them in her back pocket, next to the note Brian had written her.

“Thanks for organizing this Joe. Tell everyone I said bye, I got a really long drive ahead of me,” she said picking up her bags.

“I will,” he said with a smile as he continued to flip through the photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me in my own fic using real photos as inspiration, whee!


	7. Spring 2002

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about chapter 6! I didn't realize it hadn't posted, so double update today! The final chapter will be posted on Wednesday, the 4th of July

Chrissy graduated from Syracuse with her bachelor’s degree in architecture. She had applied for, and gotten into, the graduate program at Cornell. She moved back home before her lease started in August in Ithaca. Being so busy the summer before her senior year, as well as the entire school year with her internship, applying for graduate school, studying, and working, she had admittedly let her friendships with her friends back home go by the wayside. She was very glad when her friend reached out to her to invite her to trivia night at a bar the next week.

“Brian, hey! Sal! How’s it going?” Chrissy said as she slid into the booth next to him. The other side of the booth was already half full with Sal and another guy she didn’t recognize. They introduced her to their friend, and the rest of the group arrived for trivia night. As more people pushed their way into the booth, Chrissy found her leg pressed against Brian’s under the table. She didn’t look over at him when it happened, but she didn’t shift away from him and he didn’t shift away from her either.

After an evening of trivia, drinks and catching up, everyone split up and headed home. Chrissy made her way to her car and realized Brian was parked a couple spots down from her.

“So you glad to be back in the city?” He asked.

“It’s always nice to come home, I kinda wish it was for longer honestly.”

“When do you go up to Cornell?”

“In a couple weeks,” she said leaning against her car. “I’m really sick of packing and unpacking. I will be really glad to be settled in for a while. How’s work going for you?”

“Pretty good, but I’m thinking of applying for the fire academy.”

“That’s awesome! That would be so good for you. Then I can design the buildings and you can save them from burning down.” She said with a smile.

They continued to talk until Brian was also leaning against her car. She found herself craving physical contact like when they were in the booth. She ran her hand through her hair and looked up at him. So they had so many moments like this, both of them together, and after each one slipped by he had always regretted it. It all started with that moment when he let fear get in the way and called off what could have been a relationship before it had even began years ago. She couldn’t be absolutely certain that he carried a flame for her, but somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped he did. There were too many moments of what if and almost for there to be nothing.

The tension between them became too much to bear and he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers the way he should have years ago. His hand found her cheek and her arms wrapped around his neck. His tongue slipped past her lips and she leaned into him. Sparks flew between them for the moments they were connected. Years of wondering on both their parts satisfied.

“So you coming to the fireworks next Thursday?” He asked when they separated, running his hands through his hair

“Umm yea, I think so, are you?” She asked, feeling her hands starting to shake like they did when they got nervous.

“I’ll see you there.”

“Yea, see you later.” she said getting in her car and pulling away. Her stomach twisted into knots, not knowing what the Fourth of July would bring.


	8. Fourth of July, 2002

On Thursday night Chrissy pulled on a t-shirt with an American flag on it and made her way to the park with her friends. They found a spot to lay out their blankets and waited for the show to start. As they were waiting, she felt her cell phone vibrating in her purse. She pulled it out and excused herself from the group.

“Who is she talking to?” Brian asked one of the girls Chrissy had arrived with.

“It's probably that guy from school she’s been dating.”

Brian knitted his brows together in confusion. She hadn’t mentioned in all the time they had spent hanging out that she was dating anyone. She certainly didn’t kiss him like someone who was unavailable. Chrissy hung up and came back to sit with her friends. She smiled at Brian, but he could see guilt in her eyes.

When he got home after the fireworks, his mind was still spinning with what was going on between them. He turned on his computer and saw she was online.

> **comickid** : hey, can we talk?
> 
> **cbabe79** : sure
> 
> **comickid** : ill be over in 10 mins

When he pulled up in front of her parents dark house he saw her slipping out the front door, closing the door carefully behind her. She got into the passenger seat of his car and let out a sigh.

“What did you need to talk about?”

“Are you seeing someone?” He asked bluntly.

“Are you talking about that call at the park? Oh my god Brian. There’s a guy from school who I’ve been out with a few times, it’s nothing serious. He was just saying hi.”

“You let me kiss you, I thought you were single.”

“I am! And you know what? I’ve waited almost five years for that. You could have been doing that for five years now, but you chickened out way back then Brian, and who knows how many times in between.” It was all out there now she thought.

“I’m seeing someone too” he said quietly looking down at his lap.

“Oh come on,” she said throwing her hands up exasperated.

“You aren’t here!” He shouted back. Chrissy sighed and let her head hit the back of the seat.

“We aren’t ever going to get the timing right, are we?”

He sighed and closed his eyes. He heard the car door opening and looked up as she shut it behind her.

“I’ll see you around Brian.” She said and turned back to her parents’ house. He watched that familiar figure slip back across the front lawn and he waved when he saw caught her glancing back before going inside.


	9. Summer 2011 - Epilogue

Chrissy pulled up in front of her parents’ house. She had been living and working up in Boston since she graduated from grad school. She had kept in touch with her friends from back home somewhat, but as people grew up moved away, got married, had kids, she found her friends were mainly people that she had met in Boston, including her fiancée. As she pulled her suitcase out of the back seat of her car, she saw a familiar figure across the street.

“Brian?” She shouted, and he turned and waved before coming across the street.

“Chrissy, how ya been?” He asked as he greeted her with a hug.

“Good! How are you? What are you up to these days?”

“Well me, Sal, Joe and Murr got that comedy troupe and we’re actually filming a show now,” he replied.

“Oh my god, that’s so awesome! Congrats! I’m still working at my job, but I love it. And there’s this too.” She said holding up her left hand to show him the ring on her finger.

“Oh wow, congrats!” he said with a smile. She could tell he was genuinely happy for her. They chatted for a little while longer before Brian’s mom called for him. “I gotta go, we’re having a birthday party for my nephew, time to eat I guess.”

“Right! Well I’m really glad I ran into you! Here,” she said reaching in her purse, pulling out her business card and handing it to him. “Please let me know when your show comes on, I wanna watch. And keep in touch too. I miss the old gang.”

“Will do,” he said with a wave as he crossed back over to his parents’ house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! It was fun pulling a few random moments from my real life and making them more interesting for this story. Have a happy 4th of July.


End file.
